I changed my mind: Wendy Davis could be elected.

A while back I said that while I’d love to see Wendy Davis sitting in the governor’s mansion after the next election cycle that I didn’t think she’d have a ghost of a chance in Texas. Yesterday Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst echoed that sentiment:

“It’s my hope, my friends, that about a year from now that people are saying, ‘Why were we talking about Wendy Davis?’” Dewhurst said at a meeting of the Tarrant County Republican National Hispanic Assembly in Fort Worth, Texas, as quoted by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

I’ve actually changed my mind. First, we need to get over the hump that a Democrat could possibly win in the Lone Star. Easy, just two terms ago Ann Richards was in charge. Interesting fact, there have only beeN five Republican governors in the state’s entire history (three of them coming in the last thirty years, with Bill Clements serving split terms on either side of Democrat Mark White). The point is that it’s not unheard of or impossible for Texas to run blue in the election of governor.

But could it go blue for Davis? The key issue in her campaign will be abortion which, despite the assurances of state Republicans, is a much tighter issue in the Texas than one might think. While the voters who will loathe Davis will already be sufficiently motivated to go vote, there are lots of sleeper Democrats in the state who may wake up if Davis is on the ballot.

Also, the state’s minority population is growing by the day, and the Republicans nationwide (as well as in Texas) haven’t exactly endeared themselves to the minority population.

All-in-all, I hope Wendy Davis runs, and I retract what I said earlier about her having no chance. I don’t think she has the best chance, but it’s certainly not a lost cause. Give ’em hell, Wendy.